Foldable receptacle



y 1964 M. E. FRAZIER FOLDABLE RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 27, 1962 INVENTOR. Michael E. Frazier BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,132,794 FOLDABLE RECEPTACLE Michael E. Frazier, 47 Laurel St., Springfield, Mass. Filed Aug. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 219,489 3 Claims. (Ci. 229-63) This invention relates to a foldable receptacle and has for an object to provide a foldable receptacle in the form of a bag which may be readily opened, held in open position, and readily closed.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a foldable receptacle of inexpensive material which may be used as a waste receptacle and is of such inexpensive yet strong material that it may be disposed of along with the waste contained therein, or, when used for containing other contents, may be repeatedly used.

Still a further object of this invention, is to provide a foldable readily openable and readily closable bag intended for final use as a disposable waste receptacle but capable of initial use for holding other contents, such as groceries, laundry or the like.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a foldable bag made of inexpensive but strong material and provided with readily operable open means and readily operable closure means.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a receptacle of suitable, inexpensive but strong material, with pull or step-on opening means attached to the bottom end thereof to facilitate opening the bag.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a foldable receptacle having vertical rectangular sides and rectangular bottom, and having open ended loops provided at the top ends of each vertical side, arranged to receive two spaced apart parallel arms of a bracket support for holding the bag open while being filled, the loops also being arranged to receive a drawstring therethrough for tightly closing the receptacle after it has been filled.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide the combination of a foldable bag having open ended loops provided at the top of two opposite vertical sides in combination with a bracket having rods cooperating with said loops for readily and removably supporting the receptacle in open position by placing the loops over the rods, and in further combination with a drawstring extending through said open ended loops for completely closing the bag after it is filled.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an opening means for a foldable bag such as a grocery or laundry bag, the opening means being in the form of a pull or step-on tab attached to the bottom side of the bag and extending beyond an edge of the bottom side so that when pulled or stepped on while lifting the upper end, the bag will automatically open.

With the above and related objects in view, this inven- FIG. 5 is a perspective fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of a pivoting end of one bag supporting arm of the bracket of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary partly sectional View of another form of bag supporting bracket.

There is shown at 10 the foldable receptacle of this 3,132,794 Patented May 12, 1964 invention and at 12 one form of bracket for supporting the receptacle 10 in open position.

The receptacle 10, as shown, is a foldable bag, is made of conventional strong but inexpensive and hence disposable material, the material preferably being water resistant and if desired, may be similar to that used in paper the drawstring adjacent each other.

grocery bags or may be plastic coated paper, possibly with a double layer, or may be material such as conventionally used in bagging flour, cement, or other conventional materials, or even fabric, which may be readily folded, so long as the materials are sufliciently inexpensive, that they may be disposed of when used as a disposable rubbish or waste bag, to be disposed of along with the waste or rubbish contents thereof.

The bag 10 is somewhat similar to a regular paper grocery bag in shape except that the rectangular bottom is preferably square rather than merely rectangular, although it may well be rectangular without being square, if desired. The bag 10 includes four rectangular vertical sides, 14, 16, 18 and 20, having a rectangular and preferably square bottom 22 and an open end 24. The perimeter at the top end of each vertical side 14, 16, 18 and 20 is folded over as at 23 and suitably secured to its side as by glue or the like and provides a loop 24 open at each end as at 26 and 28. One purpose of the loops 24 is to receive a drawstring 30 extending therethrough, with the ends of The ends of the drawstring 34 extend through an opening 32 provided in one of the loops, although obviously the opening 32 may be omitted and the ends of the drawstring 30 may extend to and be available from any two adjacent loop ends 26 and 28. t

The bag 16 may be folded in a manner similar to a conventional paper grocery bag, with two opposite sides, such as 18 and 20, each having a midline crease 34, being creased inwardly from the top end to a point 36 where it becomes an outwardly extending creased line 38 with the point 36 connected by two other inwardly extending creased lines 40 and 42 extending from the point 36 to adjacent bottom corners 44 and 46 of the bag it The opposite vertical side 20 is similarly creased. In the conventional grocery bag, the bottom is usually folded flat along one of the sides 14 or 16 by providing an outwardly folding creased line on the point 36 parallel to the bottom edge with the ends of both creased lines connected by inwardly folded crease line on one side 14 or 16, and this invention may be readily used with such construction. As here shown, however, a mid crease line 48 is provided in the bag bottom side 22 permitting the bottom side 22 to be folded in between the two opposite sides 14 and 16. The bottom of the bag may be left fiat as in the conventional grocery bag or maybe folded as here disclosed. Either style is equally applicable to thisinvention.

Secured to the bottom side 22 of the bag 10, preferably or approximately at a mid point 50 is a pull tab 52 having its end 54 extending a substantial distance beyond one edge of the bag bottom side 22. In a small size of the bag of this invention, the pull tab 54 may be held by one end while the top of the bag 10 is pulled upwardly by the other end thereby opening the bag. In a large size of the bag of this invention, particularly when it is intended to be ultimately used as a rubbish or waste disposal bag, the pull tab 54 is used as a step-on tab, that is the bag will be placed with its bottom end on the floor, one foot is stepped on the pull tab 54 and by pulling the top of the bag, the bag automatically opens. When the large bag is open, it is used in combination with the bracket 12 for holding the bag open while it is being filled. The essential parts of the bracket 12 are the two parallel arms 56 and 58 arranged to be mounted on any vertical surface and spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the open bag and when used with a large bag, at a distance just above a floor or other supporting surface 6t} equal to the height of the open bag.

In this case, while the parallel spaced apart arms 56 and 58 could obviously be independently secured to a vertical supporting surface or wall 62, in this form, the bracket arms 56 and 58 are each mounted on a base 64, the base 64 being secured to the supporting wall 62 as by screws 66 or any other suitable securing means. As here shown, each arm is pivotally or hingedly secured by a pivot pin 68 to an ear 76 extending from the base 64 and. terminating in a depending stop car 72, so as to limit the movement of the arms 56 and 58 between a position parallel to each other and at right angles of the base 64, and a second position folded in overlapping position parallel to each other and parallel to the base 64. Any equivalent hinging means for folding the two arms 56 and 53 between these two positions may, of course, be used. The advantage of the arms being foldable against and parallel to the base 64 is that the arms may be folded out of the way, close to the wall 62 when not supporting the bag and may be readily opened out to supporting position as desired. Also, the arms as thus folded may be packaged in a minimum size package by the manufacturer as it moves through trade to the ultimate purchaser.

In FIG. 6, another form of bracket is shown which may likewise be readily packaged in a minimum size package but which once mounted on the wall, the arms remain permanently in parallel position. in this form, the bracket includes a base 74 consisting of a bar secured by screws 66 to the wall 62 and provided with counter sunk openings 76 to which are placed complementary cone cone shaped fiat heads '78 of arms Sil In this position, the two arms 80, the base bar 74 and the screws 66 are readily packaged in a slender package by the manufacturer, and the ultimate consumer merely inserts the bars 84) through the counter sunk opening 76 until the heads 78 enter the opening 76, and the base bar 74 is then secured by screws 66 through wall 62.

When the bag 10 is intended principally for its ultimate use as a waste or rubbish disposal bag, it may be made of a large size to hold a substantial quantity of waste material, and may hold as much material as a conventional trash can, thus eliminating the mess and odor and weight of the conventional trash can. The trash is placed in the open end 2% of the bag 10, while it is mounted on the bracket 12 until the bag is substantially filled, the bag having initially been opened by stepping on the pull tab 54 and mounting it with two opposite loops over the parallel bracket arms. The bag is then merely pulled off the bracket arms and the drawstrings 3b are pulled to close the bag at its open end and then tied to hold it in closed position whereupon it may be readily taken from the cellar or garage to the outside to be picked up by the trash collectors.

When used as waste disposal bag, the preferred size of the bag is 18- inches on the side and 40 inches high, the vertical sides of the bag being initially and approximately 42 inches before two inches of the perimeter is folded over to provide the loops 24. However, the bottom of the bag may be rectangular without being square, similar to a grocery bag and one essence of this invention is the pull tab 52 which may be similarly applied to conventional paper grocery bags to facilitate opening the paper grocery bag.

In this large size, this bag holds as much rubbish,

Waste, or trash as a conventional trash can, and this is in fact a trash can substitute, with the great advantage of its extreme lightness. Also, it may be more readily carried from inside the home to the trash collecting station outside and then does not have to be emptied or returned. A further advantage is that it provides comparatively silent trash collection, for there are no metal cans to bounce on the pavement.

Due to the inexpensive construction of this entire combination of this invention, the bag 10 may be made in suitable sizes for initial use as a grocery bag and for ultimate use as a waste disposal bag, with the grocery store using this type of bag as a premium to attract trade, with grocery store advertising medium on the surface of the bracket base as well as on the bag. Laundry bags,

either of cloth or paper material, may be similarly formed and supported on the bracket in the laundry room until it is filled with laundry then removed therefrom, closed and sent to the laundry with its contents.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be' variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A receptacle comprising a foldable bag of foldable material, said bag being open at the top end and closed at the bottom, said bag being in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the perimeter of each vertical side of said open end being folded and secured to its side of the bag providing a loop open at both its ends at the top end of each side, a drawstring extending through said loops, two

opposite sides of said bag being creased along their verti cal midlines and folded inwardly bringing the other two opposite sides to juxtaposition for storage, and a pull tab secured to the bottom side at a point spaced from its side edges for readily opening said bag when saidtab is held while the top end is pulled upwardly, in combination with a bracket for holding said receptacle in open contents receiving position, said bracket comprising a pair of parallel extending arms securable to a vertical supporting surface, said arms being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distance between two opposite vertical sides, said arms being arranged to receive thereover the loops at the top ends of said latter two opposite vertical sides to support said open receptacle.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, said bracket including a basesecurable to the vertical supporting surface, and means movably securing said arms to and extending from said base.

3. The combination of claim 2, said arms securing means including cooperating pivot means on said base and said arms permitting said arms to fold toward each other to a position substantially parallel to said base, and stop means limiting the extended position of said arms to a position parallel to each other.

References (liter! in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,140 Katayama Jan. 5, 1915 1,458,216 Wood June 12, 1923 2,079,592 Battin May 11, 193.7 2,092,969 Gustafson et al. Sept. 14, 1937 2,778,554 Porkola Jan. 22, 1957 2,863,365 Piazze Dec. 9, 1958 2,903,215 Metcalf Sept. 8, 1959 

1. A RECEPTACLE COMPRISING A FOLDABLE BAG OF FOLDABLE MATERIAL, SAID BAG BEING OPEN AT THE TOP END AND CLOSED AT THE BOTTOM, SAID BAG BEING IN THE SHAPE OF A RECTANGULAR PARALLELEPIPED, THE PERIMETER OF EACH VERTICAL SIDE OF SAID OPEN END BEING FOLDED AND SECURED TO IT SIDE OF THE BAG PROVIDING A LOOP OPEN AT BOTH ITS ENDS AT THE TOP END OF EACH SIDE, A DRAWSTRING EXTENDING THROUGH SAID LOOPS, TWO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BAG BEING CREASED ALONG THEIR VERTICAL MIDLINES AND FOLDED INWARDLY BRINGING THE OTHER TWO OPPOSITE SIDES TO JUXTAPOSITION FOR STORAGE, AND A PULL TAB SECURED TO THE BOTTOM SIDE AT A POINT SPACED FROM ITS SIDE EDGES FOR READILY OPENING SAID BAG WHEN SAID TAB IS HELD WHILE THE TOP END IS PULLED UPWARDLY, IN COMBINATION WITH A BRACKET FOR HOLDING SAID RECEPTACLE IN OPEN CONTENTS RECEIVING POSITION, SAID BRACKET COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL EXTENDING ARMS SECURABLE TO A VERTICAL SUPPORTING SURFACE, SAID ARMS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO OPPOSITE VERTICAL SIDES, SAID ARMS BEING ARRANGED TO RECEIVE THEREOVER THE LOOPS AT THE TOP ENDS OF SAID LATTER TWO OPPOSITE VERTICAL SIDES TO SUPPORT SAID OPEN RECEPTACLE. 